Reynolds, GA (5/7/2007) - I have been
racing the Canadian championship for some time and every
time I get close to the first round, I get those butterflies
in my stomach and I start feeling the pressure, but
it make me put my head down, focus on the goal and get
the job done. I had never felt that in a US…until
now. My goal this year is to race the WPSA. Guess what,
in the week before the first round, I felt exactly like
at the beginning of the Canadian championship…A
good sign?!
We took off for the first WPSA round on Wednesday,
a 24 hours drive to Georgia! My mechanic worked hard
on getting my ATVs ready for the weekend. My Yamaha’s
were ready and so I was. In the pits, it was fun to
see all our competitors from last year along with
new faces. It was going to be very competitive.
I felt really good in friday practice, ELKA new Factory
shock were awesome right at the beginning, I made
a few change to the YFZ and we were ready for Saturday.
I knew we had the speed and the bike to run with the
best.
Heat One
My DASA motor took me off the gate pretty quick,
but I backed a bit too much in the first corner and
got rear ended…I was stuck, I almost could not
believe it… I untangle and put my head down
trying to catch the pack. I use my speed to make some
good pass and lap by lap I was climbing the rank.
I eventually finished 6th.
Heat Two
Again, I almost got tangled on the start…I actually
started almost last again. ‘’Cut and past’’
Heat 1 here!!! I was able to climb back to the 6th
place. I have to admit it was hard and I was pretty
exhausted.
Main Event
I knew we needed a good start. I did…up to
the first corner, but I made a small mistake and I
was in the deep-deep loam and I lost some valuable
position. I really started the race around in 15th.
Not what I needed. I used an outside line (thanks
Donnie!) to pass 3 or 4 riders right at the beginning.
The last part of the track was so dusty that we could
not see much, but I got lucky and passed a few guys
by taking the inside line. I rounded lap 1 in 9th.
With the craziness of the first lap done…It
was easier to get into the rhythm of the race. I was
able to get around Keith Little and Travis Spader
in the next laps. You don’t go around rider
like that easily and I used a lot of energy in those
battles. By mid-race, I was pretty tired but I kept
my pace. Eventually, a hard charging Joe Haavisto
got by me. At the checkered flag, I was 6th.
All in all, it was a great weekend. I believe you
can not run before you walk…I was able to recover
from a poor start…now it is time to work on
the start. In Canada, I know how I need to feel right
before the start to pull a holeshot…I will get
that feeling soon in the US…
Thanks to all our sponsors:
Yamaha motor Canada, Groupe Vertdure,
RP Evolution, ELKA suspension, Toyota Canada, FXR,
ITP, DASA, Hindle, Web Cams, Powermadd, JE Pistons,
K&N, AAB, Streamlines brakes, Polisport, Fuel
Customs, Sixsixone, Sunline, Scott USA, Bell, Falicon,
AC racing, Mini-moteur RG
About the PowerSports
ATV Tour
The PowerSports ATV Championship Tour is North America's
premier professional ATV racing circuit, featuring
QuadMX, QuadTerrain and SuperSport Pro series action
as well as more than 20 amateur classes for adults,
women and children. The Tour is sanctioned by the
World PowerSports Association, North America's most
respected snowmobile and ATV sanctioning body, and
a promoter of ATV and snowmobile racing on both the
regional and national level. For more information,
please visit www.PowerSportsTour.com.
